When blacks killed by non-blacks, justice rarely served

By Nicole Austin-Hillery, Special to CNN

Updated 2038 GMT (0338 HKT) July 15, 2013

Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, is joined by her son Jahvaris Fulton as she speaks to the crowd during a rally in New York City, Saturday, July 20. A jury in Florida acquitted Zimmerman of all charges related to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. View photos of key moments from the trial.

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Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters attend a rally in support of Trayvon Martin, in New York on July 20. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized the "'Justice for Trayvon' 100 city vigil" which called supporters to gather in front of federal buildings around the country on July 20, as a continued protest against the George Zimmerman verdict.

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Photos: Reaction to Zimmerman verdict27 photos

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks to the crowd during the rally in New York City on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Beyoncé, left, and Jay-Z, center, arrive at the rally in New York City on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Thousands of people gathered outside the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta as part of the network of vigils on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A chalk outline, a bag of Skittles, and a can of iced tea are seen during the vigil outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters march across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Brooklyn after attending the rally in Manhattan on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon Martin, poses for a photo with supporters wearing hoodies at the rally in Miami on July 20.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Protesters march through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, on Tuesday, July 16, during a demonstration of the George Zimmerman trial.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – The Rev. Al Sharpton calls for a full federal investigation of the Martin killing, saying mere remarks by President Barack Obama and others weren't enough, outside the U.S. Justice Department in Washington on July 16.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A passenger takes a picture of protesters as he rides a city bus on July 16 in Los Angeles.

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Leon McCutchin participates in a candlelight vigil for Martin on July 15 in New York City.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A large group of demonstrators march through downtown Atlanta on July 15 during a protest of the acquittal of George Zimmerman.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Outside the Department of Justice in Washington on July 15, Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, leads a prayer during a demonstration asking for justice for Trayvon Martin.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Residents of Sanford, Florida, attend a prayer vigil to promote peace and unity in their city in the wake of the George Zimmerman trial on July 15.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – About 500 demonstrators gather during a rally and march in support of Trayvon Martin on July 15 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man argues with a police officer as supporters of Trayvon Martin march while blocking traffic in Union Square in New York on Sunday, July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man throws a trashcan during a protest in Oakland, California, on July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – People gather at a rally honoring Trayvon Martin at Union Square in New York on July 14.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Demonstrators march following a rally at the Torch of Freedom in downtown Miami on July 14.

Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A protester shouts in the streets of New York on July 13.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A man in Los Angeles wears a shirt in support of Trayvon Martin on July 13.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Tanetta Foster cries in front of the courthouse on July 13 after hearing the verdict.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – A Trayvon Martin supporter rallies outside the courthouse on July 13. After Martin's death, protesters started wearing hoodies in solidarity against racial profiling.

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Reaction to Zimmerman verdict – Demonstrators and members of the media gather outside of the courthouse on July 13. The jurors deliberated for more than 16 hours before delivering their verdict.

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Story highlights

Nicole Austin-Hillery: Justice in U.S. often hollow, especially for blacks killed by non-blacks

She says whites can't conceive of a Zimmerman-like outcome happening with their children

She says killers escaping punishment in death of young blacks has long history in U.S.

Writer: Every verdict that fails to hold killer of black accountable erodes black's trust in courts

In the iconic film, "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch, a white lawyer defending a black man accused of attempting to rape a white woman in the deep South, is delivering his closing argument to an all-white-male jury: "In this country, our courts are the great levelers ... in our courts, all men are created equal," he says.

Like the fictional defendant in the film, black America knows all too well that in this country, the promise of equal justice for all is often a hollow one. That is never more true than in cases where a black man or boy is killed by a non-black.

There will be much debate in the coming days about whether the not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman self-defense trial was the right or wrong outcome. Experts will analyze the strategy, tactics and performance of the prosecutors and the defense attorneys, seeking to explain it. This, however, will miss the bigger and more important point: In truth, when black boys and men are killed by non-blacks, more often than not, justice will not be served.

Many black parents will try to explain to their children, especially their sons, what to make of the verdict, and they may be at a loss for words. How is it possible that a black child, walking where he had a right to walk, doing absolutely nothing wrong, could be pursued, confronted and ultimately shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer -- and the killer escape punishment?

White America cannot conceive of such a thing happening to its children, nor can it imagine that, were such a travesty to occur, the killer would escape punishment. But for black America, Trayvon Martin is the latest name on a long list of African-American men and boys whose non-black killers escaped justice in America's courts -- a list that runs from Emmett Till to Amadou Diallo to Oscar Grant to Sean Bell.

Often, the killers are never even charged and brought to trial, which is precisely the course that the Zimmerman case would have taken were it not for the protests of African-Americans and others across the country.

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There was a time in this nation's history, not so very long ago, when black America looked to the courts, particularly its federal courts, for justice, and received it, most notably in the area of civil rights. The courts, particularly the Supreme Court, were places where black America's rights were validated and vindicated.

Now, our courts are places where black America's rights are often eviscerated.

Black America's belief in the possibility of receiving justice from our legal system is eroded by every verdict that fails to hold a killer who is not black accountable for the death of a black man or boy.

I was at the mall in my predominantly African-American community doing late-night shopping when the verdict was read. Like the Black store clerks who waited on me, I did not expect that Zimmerman would be found guilty, but I did harbor that hope.

Now, my heart is heavy, not merely because Zimmerman was acquitted, but also because we as a nation have yet to make Atticus Finch's words ring true. Until we do -- until our courts are really "the great levelers" in which "all men are created equal," African-Americans killed by non-blacks will not find justice in a system that fails to demand accountability for their lost lives.